D&D 5E What if the D&D Core outsells the revised D&D Core?

[dave2008]

What if the new books tank then? I wonder if they'll just be called the PHB DMG and MM?

Then we will get Classic* PHB, DMG, and MM.

*Note sure your age, but this is a reference to New Coke and Classic Coke.

 

[Yaarel]

I think they will acknowledge it is 6E, but barely in the fine print and just keep on calling the game "Dungeons & Dragons" without qualifier. I think we have seen most of the actual changes in print already, though Classes are a bit of a wildcard.

So far, what we have seen is still 5.0e.

But I agree, the classes are a wildcard.

If they just swap around which classes and subclasses are in the Players Handbook, then it will be still be normal 5.0e.

Even the background feat is already something that exists now in 5.0e.

But if they do structural updates, like every class chooses its archetype at level 1, then can quickly become a defacto 5.5e.

Heh, and if they increase the number of abilities from six to eight, it will be 6e.

 

[Parmandur]

I think the more general definition of fad is that it's a short but intense popularity for something. I'm not sure how short, short might be though. But enough of me being a pedant, the salient point here is that your argument is sound. While I don't think the popularity of D&D can be sustained, I don't think it's a fad.

It really seems to depend on the field: it seems to be best defined in clothing fashion, where a "fad" is anything that is popular for only 1-3 months and doesn't stick around, whereas a "trend" can be way broader, ranging from a popular color combo that people are only into for 9 months to blue jeans being common everyday wear from the 1950's to now. So, even the early 80's D&D boom might be more than a fad by that definition, though business circles seem to think longer term than fashion when considering fads versus trends, but even by business standards D&D is past fad territory by now.

 

[Parmandur]

So far, what we have seen is still 5.0e.

But I agree, the classes are a wildcard.

If they just swap around which classes and subclasses are in the Players Handbook, then it will be still be normal 5.0e.

Even the background feat is already something that exists now in 5.0e.

But if they do structural updates, like every class chooses its archetype at level 1, then can quickly become a defacto 5.5e.

Heh, and if they increase the number of abilities from six to eight, it will be 6e.

I mean, there is no objective definition of what constitutes an "Edition." By normal publishing practice, the 1E cover refreshes would generally be called a second edition, or the 2E black covers.

I think we are looking at a 6E, but more like Call of cthulu 7E to 6E.

 

[Yaarel]

I mean, there is no objective definition of what constitutes an "Edition." By normal publishing practice, the 1E cover refreshes would generally be called a second edition, or the 2E black covers.

I think we are looking at a 6E, but more like Call of cthulu 7E to 6E.

There is a pragmatic definition of an edition change.

If at the same table, one player uses the 2014 Players Handbook and an other player uses the 2024 Players Handbook, and things go smoothly, then it is 5.0.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 are awkward but doable, then it is 5.5.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 cause imbalance or other disruptive incompatability, then it is 6.0.

 

[darjr]

There is a pragmatic definition of an edition change.

If at the same table, one player uses the 2014 Players Handbook and an other player uses the 2024 Players Handbook, and things go smoothly, then it is 5.0.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 are awkward but doable, then it is 5.5.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 cause imbalance or other disruptive incompatability, then it is 6.0.

Interesting.

So AD&D and AD&D 2 are “awkward but doable”?

 

[Yaarel]

Interesting.

So AD&D and AD&D 2 are “awkward but doable”?

Exactly.

 

[Parmandur]

There is a pragmatic definition of an edition change.

If at the same table, one player uses the 2014 Players Handbook and an other player uses the 2024 Players Handbook, and things go smoothly, then it is 5.0.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 are awkward but doable, then it is 5.5.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 cause imbalance or other disruptive incompatability, then it is 6.0.

But we can have Scenario A with "Sixth Edition of the World's First Role-Playing Game" on the back cover.

 

[dave2008]

There is a pragmatic definition of an edition change.

If at the same table, one player uses the 2014 Players Handbook and an other player uses the 2024 Players Handbook, and things go smoothly, then it is 5.0.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 are awkward but doable, then it is 5.5.

If at the same table, 2014 and 2024 cause imbalance or other disruptive incompatability, then it is 6.0.

That is probably the best description of what constitutes an edition change that I have read.

 

[dave2008]

But we can have Scenario A with "Sixth Edition of the World's First Role-Playing Game" on the back cover.

We could, but I believe that is much less likely than people calling it 6e, even if it doesn't warrant that description, IMO.